Borce Ristevski is the number one suspect in the murder of his wife Karen.

He is the Melbourne man named by his own lawyer at the “number one” suspect in his wife’s mysterious disappearance.

But little has been told of Borce Ristevski’s long romance with his murdered wife Karen, which left him weeping outside her funeral service this week.

Karen Ristevski’s decomposed body was found wedged between two logs in bushland at Mount Macedon, north-west of Melbourne, on February 20.

It was almost eight months after she disappeared from the family home about 10am on June 29, last year.

Close friend Anica Naumovski told a memorial service on Monday about the couple’s relationship, which began when New Zealand-born Karen spotted Borce at a house party.

Karen was 16 when she approached Ristevski, described as a “spunk”, by boldly saying: “I like you, I want you.”

According to an account of the service, it was the first chapter of a romance during which Karen spent many a weekend watching Ristevski play cricket at ovals around Melbourne and the pair eventually marrying.”I like you too,” Ristevski replied.

Borce apparently proposed to his sweetheart at Williamstown – not far from her grave site – in the late 80s. She gave birth to their only daughter Sarah, 21, in 1996.

The Ristevski clan are tight-knit and haven’t publicly entertained the theory of Borce’s involvement in her disappearance.

Daughter Sarah has reportedly told family friends her father has been “copping it” in recent weeks and said the ordeal has been “hard”.

Ristevski denies any involvement in his wife’s death.

One family member, Karen’s stepson Anthony Rickard, was too emotional to attend this week’s Essendon service – posting to Facebook a picture of the outside of the church.“Don’t want to go in can’t explain it … will never forget ya.”

Borce and Karen’s brother Stephen were the chief pallbearers of Ristevski’s casket on Monday.

They travelled together behind the hearse in a car as it paid a final visit to Karen’s home in Avondale Heights and then to Williamstown Cemetery.

Her burial came hours after Stephen referred to “unfinished business” at the memorial service, a moment mourners said was the most emotional of the service.

No arrests have been made and no charges have been laid over Karen’s death, and police have criticised “speculation” over the culprit.